Coca-Cola aims to collect 500MT of plastic waste in Muntinlupa

June 11, 2021 | 6:21 pm

A Coca-Cola Philippines initiative plans to collect 500 metric tons (MT) of plastic waste in Muntinlupa City over a one-year period.

The company partnered with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and social enterprise Plastic Flamingo to collect plastic from traditional collection points, junk shops, and communities in Muntinlupa.

PBSP will provide resources like tri-bikes and personal protective equipment for the collectors. The groups partnered with 27 junk shops and 20 waste collectors that have been trained to identify different plastic types.

“The problem of solid waste, particularly flexible plastic, has skyrocketed during the pandemic and threatens the environment more than ever. This project, while helping the environment, will help waste pickers in Muntinlupa earn income from the waste collected,” PBSP Executive Director Elvin Ivan Y. Uy said in a statement.

Collected plastic waste will be sold to designated junk shops that will then deliver the raw materials to Plastic Flamingo facilities for upcycling.

Coca-Cola is fast-tracking the launch of a new PET recycling facility in General Trias, Cavite.

A joint partnership between Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines and Bangkok-based Indorama Ventures, a global leader in packaging solutions and green technology, the facility is expected to be the biggest bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in the Philippines. It aims to process around 30,000MT of used PET bottles and produce around 16,000 MT of recycled PET resin annually. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Fully vaccinated seniors in MECQ, GCQ areas now allowed outdoors

June 11, 2021 | 6:17 pm

vaccination-senior — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

The task force handling the pandemic response has adopted a resolution exempting fully vaccinated seniors in areas under general and strict lockdowns from the stay-at-home rules, according to the presidential palace.

The taskforce “allowed the movement of fully vaccinated senior citizens in areas under General Community Quarantine and Modified General Community Quarantine, subject to presentation of a duly issued COVID-19 vaccination card,” presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said on Friday.

Seniors are still limited to travelling within their zone as interzonal travel is still prohibited, except for point-to-point travel, Mr. Roque said.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, only persons aged 15 to 65 years had been allowed outdoors.

Government data showed that 415,540 seniors have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of June 8.

Meanwhile, the Palace official said the task force also allowed gyms, fitness studios, skating rinks, and racket sports courts in the National Capital Region Plus to resume operations at 30% of the venue’s capacity.

Mr. Roque said historical sites as well as museums are now allowed to operate at 20% of the venue’s capacity.

However, guided tours in historical sites and museums shall remain prohibited, he added.

With the reopening of the fitness industry, about 22,000 displaced workers in the fitness industry would be able to regain their jobs, Trade Chief Ramon M. Lopez said at a televised news briefing.

Mr. Lopez said about 2,000 gyms in the capital region and nearby provinces have yet to secure a safety seal certification, which is issued by the Trade department.

Authorities are set to announce this week the new quarantine classifications for the second half of the month. — Kyle Aristophere Atienza

6,600 new COVID cases, 196 more deaths — DoH

June 11, 2021 | 6:15 pm

vaccine-health-worker — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

The Department of Health reported 6,686 new coronavirus infections nationwide on Friday, bringing the total number of cases since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year to 1,300,349.

The death toll rose by 196 to 22,507, while recoveries increased by 3,190 to 1,216,497, it said in a bulletin.

There were 61,345 active cases, 91.6% of which were mild, 4.3% did not show symptoms, 1.15% were moderate, 1.7% were severe, and 1.2% were critical.

The agency said 24 duplicates had been removed from the tally. Of these, 20 recovered.

It said that 127 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. About 1,000 cases previously classified as recoveries were re-tagged as active cases, it added.

Three labs failed to submit data.

About 13.9 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 9, according to the health department’s tracker website.

Meanwhile, a group of researchers said the number of coronavirus infections in Metro Manila went down by 17% from June 4 to 10.

Infections in the capital region decreased to 926 daily in the last seven days from the 1,116 recorded from the previous week, OCTA said in its latest report.

OCTA said the reproduction number in the region over the same week was 0.72, while the average daily attack rate was at 6.7, suggesting that the risk level in the key economic hub is “moderate.” The reproduction rate or R0 is a measure of a virus’ transmission, or the number of new infections generated by each case.

OCTA said the positivity rate in the region decreased to 8%, while the hospital care use rate went down to 36%. The occupancy rate for intensive care unit beds was at 49%.

The government had placed Metro Manila and nearby provinces under strict lockdowns from March to mid-May due to a surge in coronavirus infections. The restrictions have since been eased.

Philippine authorities earlier said the southern and central parts of the Philippines were experiencing a surge in coronavirus infections.

OCTA said the rise in infections in Mindanao slowed down in the last seven days.

It said Davao City had a slight decrease in cases. It added that the Mindanao metropolis’ hospital bed occupancy was below 60%, a safe level.

OCTA said the trends in Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga City continued to move downward, “but Cagayan de Oro continued to have high hospital occupancy rates.”

Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo City, Dumaguete, Butuan, Tuguegarao, Cotabato City, and Tacloban are still “areas of concern,” it said. — Kyle Aristophere Atienza

Philippines now polio-free, says WHO

June 11, 2021 | 6:12 pm

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday announced the end of the polio outbreak in the Philippines, almost two years after the debilitating disease reemerged in the Southeast Asian country.

“We are formally celebrating the end of the polio outbreak that has affected the Philippines for more than 600 days,” WHO representative to Manila Rabindra Abeyasinghe said at a televised news briefing organized by the Department of Health.

The end of the polio outbreak proves that collective efforts can strengthen public health amid the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

Mr. Abeyasinghe said this latest milestone in public health proves that vaccines work.

In an e-mailed statement, Mr. Abeyasighe said the decision to proclaim the country polio-free came “as the virus has not been detected in a child or in the environment” in the past 16 months. This a result of comprehensive outbreak response actions including intensified immunization and surveillance activities in affected areas, he added.

Children under the age of five are most vulnerable to polio, a highly infectious and sometimes fatal disease that can be avoided with a vaccine, according to the WHO.

Philippine health authorities announced a polio outbreak in September 2019, after almost two decades of being polio-free.

The WHO said the disease remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“The success of the polio immunization in the Philippines is proof that when we come together for children, great things happen,” UNICEF representative to the Philippines Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov said in an e-mailed statement.

Mr. Dendevnorov urged the Philippine government to “keep the momentum and accelerate routine immunization and safeguard essential child health services” while rolling out coronavirus vaccines for priority sectors. — Kyle Aristophere Atienza

SC revising rules on issuance of arrest and search warrants

June 11, 2021 | 6:07 pm

Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said the court is currently working on revising the rules on criminal procedures to address problems revolving around the issuance of arrest and search warrants.

“Justice (Marvic Mario Victor F.) Leonen submitted to the Court en banc a working draft of the revisions intended to specifically address the issue on the issuance of arrest and search warrants,” Mr. Gesmundo said in a press conference on Friday.

The Rules on Criminal Procedure covers the service of search and arrest warrants, specifically under Rules 113 and 126.

In relation to this, Mr. Gesmundo said the Court is set to discuss the use of body-worn cameras when it resumes sessions on June 15.

“The proposed rule is to be taken up as soon as we resume session on June 15, and our colleagues have submitted their respective inputs. I am optimistic that after two or three deliberations, we will come up with the final version,” he stated.

He added that the Court may have a final version of the rules on body cameras by July this year, and once they do, they will immediately approve it for implementation.

Multiple human rights groups have urged the high court to look into the rules on the issuance and service of search and arrest warrants after nine activists were killed and 15 others arrested on March 7 in the Southern Tagalog area. This was a result of the serving of 24 search warrants issued by Manila and Quezon City courts. — Bianca Angelica D. Añag

Mail-in voting not a viable option for 2022 polls, says Comelec

June 11, 2021 | 6:05 pm

PHILSTAR

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday ruled out the possibility of implementing mail-in voting for the upcoming polls.

Online voting will not be a viable option for the 2022 polls and will only happen “in the future elections,” Philip Luis Marin, a member of the Comelec Office for Overseas Voting, said at a virtual briefing on Friday.

The poll body earlier asked the Congress to file a bill that would institutionalize mail-in voting as an alternative way of voting amid the pandemic. Seniors and people with disabilities should be allowed to vote by mail, it said.

A progressive bloc in the House of Representatives last year filed a measure seeking to create a manual-automation election system in the country to avoid transparency issues.

Meanwhile, Mr. Martin said about 1.6 million Filipinos abroad have yet to register for the 2022 elections.

He said the poll body is expecting more than 580,000 overseas voters to participate in next year’s polls.

The Comelec official said only 31.30% of the 1.37 million Filipinos abroad participated in the 2016 elections, while 18.46% of the 1.82 million registered overseas voters voted in the 2019 midterm elections.

Mr. Marin said Filipinos at least 18 years old who are abroad or who will be abroad during the 30-day overseas voting period from April 10 to May 9, 2022 may register to participate in the elections. — Kyle Aristophere Atienza

IBP seeks justice for Masbate explosion victims, cites illegality of landmines

June 11, 2021 | 6:02 pm

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has condemned the use of landmines and seeks justice for the victims of the recent explosion in Masbate City.

“(T)he use, manufacture, and sale of anti-personnel land mines is banned by the 1997 Ottawa Treaty (Mine Ban Convention) of which the Republic of the Philippines is a signatory together with a vast majority of civilized nations,” the IBP said in an e–mailed statement on Friday.

The organization issued the statement five days after 21-year-old Far Eastern University football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven T. Absalon, 34, were killed by a landmine as they were biking in Barangay Anas, Masbate City on Sunday.

“We strongly condemn the use of anti-personnel land mines, seek justice for the innocent victims, and demand full accountability and punishment for those who callously deployed the land mines,” the IBP said.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) took “full responsibility for the tragedy.”

In the statement, the CPP-NPA said they hope that “the Absalon family, their relatives and friends, and the entire Filipino people can accept our profoundest apologies, self-criticism, and willingness to extend any appropriate form of indemnification.”

The explosion was caused by “errors in the military action mounted by an NPA unit in Barangay Anas, Masbate City,” said the statement.

The CPP said on Monday that it was investigating the incident and would impose “corrective measures” on those proven to have erred.

Philippine National Police chief Guillermo T. Eleazar also said on Monday that he had directed the local police to “coordinate with the military and launch manhunt operations against the suspects.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añag

SC justices fully vaccinated against COVID-19

June 11, 2021 | 6:00 pm

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo announced on Friday that he and all 14 justices of the Supreme Court (SC) have completed their vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while the other court personnel are already in line for vaccination.

In a press conference on Friday, Mr. Gesmundo said “(a)ll members of the court (en banc) have been completely vaccinated.”

As for court personnel, “I was told… this morning that for this week, there is a schedule for 400 people to get vaccinated,” Mr. Gesmundo added.

He further said the inoculation will be done in the Court’s facilities by their own medical personnel, and that they have created a task force to supervise and ensure that the vaccination takes place in accordance with the schedule, and within the number of vaccine jabs available for the Judiciary.

“We have requested the local government units of Manila initially to assist us in this vaccination activity, but we were told by the COVID-19 Task Force that we can do it ourselves, and we will be able to train our own medical personnel to do the vaccination,” he stated.

Judges and court employees from regional trial courts have also received their share of vaccines for the judiciary.

Mr. Gesmundo stated that he received a report from a Bacolod court judge that “all the judges there, court personnel, and even police officers and lawyers who appear before their courts have been vaccinated.

“It is my view that the Court can become fully operational, meaning people can report perhaps less than 100%, only when they have been vaccinated completely, meaning (their) first and second jab is completed,” Mr. Gesmundo said.

As of June 3, 1,194 employees of the SC, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, and trial courts have been infected with COVID-19.

Of the 1,194 employees, 1,846 recovered, 33 died, and 115 are active cases. — Bianca Angelica D. Añag

BSP simplifies licensing rules for securities-related activities

June 11, 2021 | 5:57 pm

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) has approved rules that will simplify the licensing process for the securities custodianship and registry operations of financial institutions.

Circular No. 1121 signed by BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno on June 8 allows BSP-supervised financial institutions to perform securities custodianship/registry services for a related party if it can ensure safeguards and controls will be put in place to prevent possible conflict of interest in the arrangement.

“This will complement existing initiatives to expand investment opportunities for the public and at same time ensure that their interests are adequately protected,” Mr. Diokno said in a statement.

“The said amendments are part of the commitment of the BSP to contribute to the development of the domestic capital market and strengthen investor protection,” the central bank said.

Securities custodianship services involve safekeeping, mark-to-market valuation, and the collection and payment of dividends, interest earnings or proceeds from the sales, redemption, or maturity of issuances.

Meanwhile, a securities registry is a financial institution authorized by both the BSP and the Securities and Exchange Commission to maintain a book of electronic or print records of initial issuances and transfers of securities from buyers to sellers.

BSP Managing Director for Policy and Specialized Supervision Lyn I. Javier said the circular covers universal and commercial banks regardless of whether they have trust departments, non-banks with quasi-banking functions, and stand-alone trust corporations.

The circular outlines pre-qualification requirements for financial institutions that seek to operate a securities custodian or registry business, which will include a secure and adequate IT infrastructure. The unit is also required to be headed by a qualified person with at least two years of experience in treasury, trust, or custody/registry operations.

“The pre-qualification requirements emphasize the importance of the independence of the securities custodianship operations from the securities underwriting, dealing, or brokering operations of the BSP-supervised financial institution,” the central bank said.

Interested BSP-supervised financial institutions are required to submit a notification letter signed by their head regarding their intent to engage in the business. A certificate of approval from the financial institution’s corporate secretary regarding the approval of the board and one saying they have the pre-qualification requirements are also needed.

A financial institution can start offering securities custodianship or registry services if the BSP does not issue a notice of objection, which it needs to do within 30 calendar days of the firm’s submission of its application.

The circular likewise requires financial institutions to adhere to supervisory expectations on disclosure and reporting requirements to clients, the conduct of customer due diligence, and record keeping.

“We are hopeful that the ease of investing that these new regulations promote will encourage more investors in the Philippine capital market especially during this time of alternative work arrangements and challenging economic conditions,” the Bankers Association of the Philippines said in an email. — L.W.T. Noble

Central bank fully awards offer of one-month bills

June 11, 2021 | 5:55 pm

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) fully awarded its offer of short-term securities on Friday at a slightly higher average rate due to the rise in global oil prices amid a recovery in demand.

The BSP awarded the programmed P100 billion in BSP bills on Friday as bids for the 28-day securities hit P162.69 billion, more than the P105.41 billion logged last week.

Accepted rates for the papers ranged from 1.755% to 1.87%, a narrower band compared to the 1.75% to 1.973% band logged last week. With this, the average rate for the one-month securities rose by 1.08 basis points (bp) to 1.7965% from 1.7857% in the previous auction.

The short-term bills and the term deposits are used by the central bank to gather excess liquidity in the financial system and guide interest rates.

The higher average rate fetched for the BSP bills on Friday came after the uptick in global oil prices, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a text message.

Oil prices soared to their highest in two years on Thursday as the market was optimistic on a continued recovery in demand, Reuters reported.

Brent futures rose 0.4% to $72.52 a barrel on Thursday while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased 0.5% to $70.29. Those were the highest closes for Brent since May 2019 and WTI since October 2018.

“Recent gains in the local stock market also partly led to the pickup in some short-term interest rates, as some investors seek higher returns in the local equity markets,” Mr. Ricafort added.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index gained 32.08 points or 0.47% to end at 6,907.79 on Friday.

Yields on the BSP’s term deposits also increased at this week’s offering. The average rate for the seven-day papers rose by 3.82 bps to 1.7582%, while the 14-day papers were quoted at 1.795%, up by 0.09 bp from the previous auction. — LWTN

Wells Fargo closes Manila representative office

June 11, 2021 | 5:54 pm

WELLS FARGO & Co. has closed its representative office in the country, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Friday.

Circular Letter No. CL-2021-045 signed by BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi G. Fonacier said the Monetary Board on June 3 noted the decision of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.-Manila Representative Office to close its operations effective May 31.

In 2011, Wells Fargo started its operations in Manila which evolved to include services such as risk, project management, data analytics, finance and accounting. Its local office was located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Wells Fargo is also a remittance partner for major local financial institutions including BDO Unibank, Inc., Philippine National Bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Metropolitan Bank & Trust. Co., as well as M Lhuillier Financial Services, Inc. and Cebuana Lhuillier.

Last year, Bloomberg reported that Wells Fargo & Co. was planning to cut their workforce in the Philippines to move some jobs to India and refocus their technology employees in fewer locations.

Representative offices of foreign lenders serve as liaison offices that allow them to promote their services or products to the local market.

Citigroup, Inc. also announced in April that it will leave its consumer banking business in 13 Asia-Pacific markets, including the Philippines, but will continue to maintain a corporate banking presence. — LWTN

Peso climbs on US jobs, inflation data

June 11, 2021 | 5:51 pm

THE PESO rebounded versus the dollar on Friday on positive US data, which eased worries over the world’s largest economy.

The local unit closed at P47.70 per dollar, appreciating by 6.5 centavos from its P47.765 finish on Thursday.

It also strengthened by five centavos against its P47.75 finish on June 4.

The peso opened Friday’s session at P47.73 against the dollar. Its weakest showing was at P47.74, while its intraday best was at P47.68 versus the greenback.

Dollars exchanged reached $684.79 million on Friday, inching up from the $680.2 million seen on Thursday.

The peso appreciated following the release of US jobs and inflation data, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort and a trader said.

“The peso appreciated from broad market views of transitory and elevated US inflation despite the higher-than expected US consumer inflation report,” the trader said in an email.

US consumer prices rose solidly in May, leading to the biggest annual increase in nearly 13 years as a reopening economy boosted demand for travel-related services, while a global semiconductor shortage drove up prices for used motor vehicles, Reuters reported.

The pandemic’s easing grip on the economy was also underscored by other data from the US Labor Department on Thursday showing the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nearly 15 months.

May’s inflation drivers appear to be temporary, fitting in with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s repeated assertion that higher inflation will be transitory.

The consumer price index (CPI) increased 0.6% last month after surging 0.8% in April, which was the largest gain since June 2009. Food prices rose 0.4%, but gasoline declined for a second straight month. In the 12 months through May, the CPI accelerated 5.0%. That was the biggest year-on-year increase since August 2008 and followed a 4.2% rise in April.

Inflation could get a boost from the labor market, where layoffs are subsiding. In another report on Thursday, the US Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 376,000 for the week ended June 5. That was the lowest since mid-March 2020 when the first wave of COVID-19 infections barreled through the country, leading to closures of nonessential businesses.

Though layoffs are subsiding, claims remain well above the 200,000 to 250,000 range that is viewed as consistent with a healthy labor market. They have, however, dropped from a record 6.149 million in early April 2020. — LWTN with Reuters